Cover Image: The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life

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Member Reviews

This was actually a really cute read!
I would definitely recommend for readers who want a light-hearted, fun and fast read.

So, what did I like?
- Can we talk about Dani's writing? Wow, it was amazing. I was sucked in from the first page and she is very talented. There were great descriptions without the overuse of flowery language and the book read and paced very well.
- The premise was interesting. If you know me well, any book revolving around drama/plays are my thing so this was great. I think it was original enough that I felt like I would remember this book.
- I also liked the representation in this book and how certain topics were handled. I think it was done in an almost humorous way which actually worked well. I didn't feel like I was reading a heavy book and for a summery read, this was great.
- I think Alison was a good lead. I liked learning more about her and I think her own struggles were interesting to read from. However, she was a little overbearing and I did find myself rolling my eyes a few times at some of her actions. I sort of thought she was a crappy friend too - like on multiple occasions, and that didn't sit well with me.

I think the only other thing I wanted to comment on was how we only ever got to see their warm-ups with rehearsals and never them actually practising the play. As the play was a major part of the book but I didn't feel like we got enough of a backstage experience of them conducting the play and I didn't see how Alison's producing tasks were working with the cast members. It was like she would be moaning and stressed with all the work and conflicts but we never got to see it.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this read. I flew through the book in one sitting and it is definitely something I would recommend.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I thought this looked and sounded adorable--I mean, look at that cover! Plus, I have a major soft spot for Midsummer Night's Dream, so I was really excited when I got approved for this. Unfortunately it just turned out to be not my style.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters, and I felt that they all acted too young and immature to be considered high school seniors. I didn't jive with the writing style either, so I ended up spending most of the book frustrated. I was happy to see the LGBT representation, but even some of those moments were handled a little weirdly. Overall, pretty disappointed with this one, since I thought it would be a cuter read!

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