In the moment I figured I would love this. Then I started it. I got like a quarter of the way into the book I think. I think I just got bored? Writing was fine and the story itself was fine, though I think the pacing may have been why I put this book down.

I think anyone who has read Romeo and Juliet can agree that it isn't the romantic story it is made out to be. Well, this book definitely doubles down on that, just told through a different voice, Rosaline, the woman before Juliet. I found this book to be pretty interesting, with some fresh takes on the story. The ending also left me speechless. Not my favorite, but parts will definitely stick with me!

This was ok! An interesting reclamation of a character whose always been on the sidelines of the story, but it definitely lost me about half way through. No spoilers, but some of the events were too modern feeling? I don’t usually mind anachronisms in this type of book but this went a little off the rails.

This is a wildly different take on Shakespeare's story! It's a more feminist, almost modern retelling, from Rosaline's POV. She is a pretty minor character in the original play, so Natasha creates her entire personality from scratch, and I loved her! Headstrong and self-reliant Rosaline is a great heroine! There are drastic changes to the story that I'm not sure if I loved and if you are looking for a faithful expansion of Shakespeare's work then this is not the book for you but overall, it's very well written!

Fantastic.

In one of my many close readings of Romeo and Juliet as a teen, I remember thinking Romeo can't be that great if he was JUST in love with another girl (Rosaline) and already "loves" Juliet. It is fantastic to see the other side of the story in this book.

This was a beautiful rendition of Romeo & Juliet told from the POV of Rosaline, who Romeo loved first. There’s something so special and interesting about Shakespeare retellings that focus on a side character, and the author did a great job executing her vision with this one. I truly felt for Rosaline and connected with her more than I ever did with the titular characters in the original play.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book moved a little slow for me. I think the concept and idea is unique but the execution was a little flawed for me.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

When I saw that this book was available to request on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to request it.

I have loved the story of Romeo and Juliet for a long time, so when I saw that someone wrote a book about Rosaline, I knew I had to read it.

This book was really good. Rosaline, Juliet's cousin meets Romeo Monague and is swept up in all of his declarations of love and marrage. Things go awry, and then he meets her cousin Juliet at a party.

This is not the side of Romeo we are used to seeing, but I really liked this book.
You get sucked right into the story of Love, Romance and deception. How will it end? Read it and find out.

A gripping retelling of Romeo and Juliet. We get to see the story from disillusioned Rosaline’s POV. Does she get to save Juliet?
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

For Romeo, Rosaline was love at first site. Rosaline is stubborn, but sees Romeo as another option besides the convent that her father wants her to join. Rosaline begins to have doubts regarding the things that he's told her. She breaks off the arrangement. Romeo becomes interested in her cousin, 13-year old Juliet. Will Rosaline be able to save Juliet? Or will she be too late? Re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo is a predator.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this Shakespearean twist.

I consumed this book. Romeo, the villain? Finally. This book contained amazing lines and was filled with wonderful metaphors of what it truly means to be a woman. A story that is relatable not only in the fourteenth century, but in 2024. Roseline did not get to speak any words in Shakespeare’s play, but Natasha Solomons was able to give her a voice. Roseline was continually told who she was and what she was worth. To say this was a beautiful book would be an understatement. Shakespeare could never.

Fair Rosaline is an amazing read with a complex main character and intriguing plot. The main character, Rosaline is an intelligent and independent girl in a time when such things were not only frowned upon, but punished and her small act of rebellion is the catalyst for events in the story. I loved seeing the story of Romeo and Juliet from another perspective, and through a more feminist lens, calling out the female erasure in history and classic lit, as well as the exploitation of young girls we are still seeing to this day. Absolutely amazing, triumphic ending, great writing. A 5 star read for sure.

As a student of theater, I always loved the character of Rosaline best and considered her story the greatest one never fully told. I'd always imagined her life off-stage in the various plays imagining the intersectionality between them and romanticizing her life for myself. This story was a dream come true. Though different than some of the things I may have imagined, I really enjoyed this version of "Fair, Rosaline".

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons is a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet that I honestly enjoyed much more than the original tale that always kind of weirded me out. In this story the emphasis is put on Rosaline point of view as a scorned romantic interest of Romeo's. Rosaline discovers what kind of cad Romeo really is and uncovers a larger scheme involving the Church, wealthy and corrupt men, and innocent girls. The book fast paced and written well and I loved the different look into the world of the Montague's and Capulet's.

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, but what about Rosaline who was only mentioned in the play? This book answers that question.

Ever since I read Romeo and Juliet in highschool I wondered about Rosaline. She got only a mere mention in the play and we moved on. I always wanted to know more about this mysterious woman who Romeo moved on from basically overnight. Natasha Solomons has finally answered all my questions! I love this backstory about Rosaline and how feisty and fiery she is. She is definitely ahead of her time. This retelling makes so much sense, too, which you don’t usually get in retellings/reimaginings. The story is told with Rosaline being a mastermind and moving all these pieces in the background.

If you love Shakespeare and/or Romeo and Juliet, you’ll definitely want to give this one a read!

As editor, I requested Fair Rosaline as background reading for a discussion we hosted on BookBrowse. The discussion was very positive; and in addition, we also reviewed the book:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/booktalk/threads.cfm?forumid=11D23A69-CB76-6117-35196AAC30AD39D4

I think a feminist retelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet is a clever approach, and one that I was excited to delve into. Unfortunately the pace of the story was a bit too slow for me. I appreciate that the story focused on some lesser known characters and lent a voice to them, however, this was much darker of a retelling than I anticipated-- perhaps I wasn't in the right mindset for this one. I still encourage people to give it a go, because I think there are some glimmers of brilliance in it.

I wasn’t able to finish this one.

The pacing threw me off and I had to DNF around 27%.

Maybe I’ll be able to come back to it at another time.