Based on Romeo and Juliet, this is a cute Middle Grade queer romance full of heart and delicious-sounding food. Ro and Jules are a sweet couple figuring out how to be together amidst their families feuding. I enjoyed the parallels to Romeo and Juliet, and I think this book would be a great introduction to that classic for junior high students. As an active parent of Scouts, I appreciated Ro being so dedicated (even if it is hard to believe she Eagle'd as a freshman. I loved the representation of autism and anxiety, though the ADHD sounded more like technical explanations than actual rep. The writing itself was a little repetitive, but I've noticed that tends to happen in Middle Grade books.

All in all, a fun read, and now I want Italian food.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC!

Pasta Girls is a queer, (loosely) Romeo and Juliet based middle grade romance written from two perspectives. Jules is 13 and about to make a big choice about perusing music at a public high school in NYC, or continuing on at her current private school. Ro is a year older and is having trouble navigating her first year of high school, mostly because of her ADHD that makes it hard for her to manage tasks and physical objects. Jules is anxious and autistic, and her family has a wealth of supports for Jules to navigate her life.

I think my students would appreciate this queer, neurodiverse novel set during the NYC San Gennaro Festival. Did I love it? Not exactly, but I do think it brings some needed perspectives to the middle grade romance realm.

From my view as an adult reader making collection development choices for my 6th-8th grade readers, I have a few reservations. Ro’s ADHD often reads more like a diagnosis list than a real human’s experience of ADHD. Jules’ autism and anxiety is much better written and actually feels within the story. Anytime Ro’s ADHD is mentioned I feel like I’ve skipped to a page in a technical manual. as someone who works with many students with ADHD, the day to day experience just felt too clinical for me and took me out of Ro’s own voice.

The Romeo and Juliet vibes? Very loose. I also don’t know how many middle grade readers have read or seen a production of Romeo and Juliet so maybe it’s a moot point?

This one kind of dragged for me. The conflict between the two families just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me to feel the urgency to finish this to find out what happens.

2.5/5 stars
Pub. date: September 8, 2025

Pasta Girls was a charming and delightful read that instantly put me in a good mood. I loved the warmth and humor woven throughout the story, and the friendships felt genuine and relatable. The romance added a sweet touch without ever overshadowing the fun and heartfelt moments. A few plot points felt a little predictable, but overall, it was an enjoyable, feel-good read that left me smiling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The dads fighting felt like Bob and Jimmy Pesto from Bob’s Burgers.

This was such a cute little book. I’m a certified Romeo and Juliet hater, but books like this make me want to give it a chance again. I love all the retellings. This sapphic neurodivergent retelling was so cute and fun. Jules and Ro both love their families and their communities and it was so nice to learn about Little Italy. Seeing kids be so passionate about their culture was great to see. Jules has extreme anxiety and has a hard time in crowds and Ro helping her was so sweet. It was also sweet to see Ro teach her how to cook. I liked the addition of an aroace character even though it wasn’t mentioned except as “they don’t get crushes so they don’t really understand what it’s like to have one” I would have liked to see Melissa’s sexuality explained more, but it’s ok.

I always get so frustrated seeing the way parents completely ignore or belittle their children in books like these. Like they didn’t want to listen to a thing they had to say until the girls worked together to explain themselves. And I completely understood why they felt like they had to sneak around and lie.

In the long run I learned a lot about Italian food and I loved seeing the girls fall for each other. I appreciated how they explained how Lesbian isn’t a bad term and how there were good talks about grief and about how Jules might be missing her older brother off and on and how she shouldn’t feel guilty about it. The end put a smile on my face for sure.

I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book. I quite enjoyed the plot and characters of this book. The Romeo & Juliet rewrite was really cute and well done. Jules and Ro's relationship was adorable in every way. Watching these young kids fall in love was very wholesome for me. I often got annoyed and irritated with their parents, and I felt like that part of the story was wrapped up a bit too easily, considering how rude they were for most of the book. This book is perfect for any young kid. I would definitely recommend it.

Pasta Girls by Tracy Taylor is a sapphic retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in Little Italy during an Italian cultural festival. Ro and Jules come from two rival Italian restaurants in the neighborhood, but come together in spite of their parent’s rivalries. Pasta Girls has great representation, with both of its heroines being neurodiverse, and showcases well the struggles that neurodiverse folk go through, even when the neurotypical people around them have the best intentions. The book is very sweet, and great read for any young person, dealing with challenging topics with the are they deserve. I will absolutely be carrying this book and suggesting it to our younger readers and their parents!

first of all, many thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me a chance to read the arc in exchange of a honest review.

what drew me to the book, despite not being the target audience (i'm much older than the protagonists) was the italianness of it. being an italian it's always fascinating to see what the traditions of americans of italian descent are. i was pleasantly surprised by how much correct italian was in the book (even if some things were incorrect, like papa - it means pope for us, while dad is papà or babbo).

the story in itself was very cute and i enjoyed it a lot, it transported me back to when i was that age and every feeling felt enormous! i think younger sapphics will have fun reading it, i love that there is fun and lighthearted representation for them.

I adored this story about two queer, neurodivergent girls navigating their blossoming relationship to the backdrop of a family feud!

What a cute LGBT retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I was genuinely whole heartedly in on this book the second I read the synopsis and it didn’t disappoint. The only thing I would say is that the characters seem a little younger and less mature than their written ages.

Not my normal read but it was well written and told the story of Ro and Jules- a not quite Romeo and Juliet romance.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc for my honest review.
5 out of 5 stars/3rd pov with the characters being Ro and Jules
Two classic Italian families in new york city. One San Gennaro festival. A revamp to the classic Romeo and Juliet story.
Ro and Jules are two 14 year old girls who are the children of the rival Italian restaurant owners. They meet at a street fair party, share a moment on a Ferris wheel, and then continue to see each other even after they find out about their feuding families. Will they have a happy ending or will their families drive them apart?

I loved this book for it's modern take on Romeo and Juliet. I loved how they referenced it but it's still very unique. I also looked every cooking moment. The food seems to a character as well.

Cute retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but the main characters - Ro and Jules - seemed younger than 13/14 years old. The way they acted, the dialogue, etc. didn't sound like 8th graders and the overall feel of the book was closer to a 5th/6th grade romance. The story idea, the setting, etc. were great. I also appreciated the way the author dealt with ADHD and autism in the characters, however, overall, this book was pretty vanilla.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Romeo and Juliet is a classic tale of woe and romance between children of two warring families. In this case, Ro and Jules are two 14 yr olds, children of two competing and combative Italian restaurant owners. The girls meet at a street fair, fall for each other, and have to both deal with their own budding romance..,,and their parents’ animosity.

Like most LGBT romances, this is extremely age appropriate. As in, the romance is hand holding and a few kisses on top of a Ferris wheel, the dates are making pasta and trying out food, often in the company of friends and family, and the girls are just plain sweet characters.

Happily, the ending is much happier than in the original, with the help of a couple of Italian nonnas :).

Overall, this is an enjoyable book that would be very appropriate for middle school age readers. Unfortunately, the fact that it has two female co-protagonists likely means it cannot be used in classrooms in my state. I hope it makes it into homes instead.

This book was so cute and cozy, all the Italian food made my mouth water, and also made me yearn to visit nyc again 😭. The third person pov was a little new for me to read and a little odd on getting used to but it wasn’t terrible. The novel switched from Jules to Ro and so forth and sometimes the voices of the main characters would blur into one.
I like how romance is represented in a lighthearted way especially geared towards middle graders.
Would definitely recommend to those looking for a quick, light hearted coming of age middle grade novel with queer and neurodivergence rep. 🍝 🫶🏼

Set against the backdrop of New York’s vibrant San Gennaro Festival and two feuding Italian restaurants, this charming YA romance brings heart, humor, and just the right amount of spice.

Romea (Ro) Marino is fiery, passionate, and happiest when she’s cooking up bold fusion recipes in her family’s kitchen. Julianna (Jules) Cangelosi is quiet, thoughtful, and deeply connected to the traditional flavors of her heritage—though her anxiety makes the hustle of restaurant life a challenge. When these two very different girls meet, their chemistry is instant... until they realize their dads are bitter rivals in the restaurant world.

What unfolds is a tender, slow-burn love story full of food, family drama, self-discovery, and lots of heart. Ro and Jules each carry their own insecurities and strengths, and their growing bond offers a beautiful look at how love—and acceptance—can flourish even in the most unexpected places.

This fun, sapphic take on Romeo and Juliet was everything I wanted it to be. It was cute, charming, and perfectly paced. I loved getting to know Romea and Julianna, and they felt very believable to me as characters. The supporting cast was charming, sweet, and developed enough that I understood the friendships. Tracy's descriptions of food left me excited to explore the Feast of San Gennaro sometime soon, and I loved watching the girls learn how to cook together. The romance was cute and charming, and I was rooting for them from the very beginning. I appreciated the extra character development for Romea and Julianna - they felt much more relatable and substantial.

I can't wait to give this to the library kids!

I loved the premise and the cute cover, but unfortunately third person, present tense is an automatic DNF for me. I simply can't stand that POV.

I won't be reviewing on Amazon on Goodreads, since I only got one page into the book.

A cute and heart warming YA novel with a lot of love woven between the pages. As a native New Yorker I loved reading about the 2 classic Italian families and the San Gennaro festival. I am giving it 3 stars because the 2 girls and the 2 families were very, very similar - and often it was hard to tell who was related to who. Because of this, I think it lacked a bit of depth. However it was a really adorable read and I think teens will love it!

Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC!

This was super cute! A sapphic middle grade romeo and juliet retelling with ADHD, autism and anxiety rep! I really related to the characters and thought the representation was well done. It's also much needed in this genre!