Was the greatest love story of all time a lie?
Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet and he falls instantly in love. Having just lost her mother Rosealines father announces that Roseline is to be sent to the nunnery.

Rosaline, being headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo's attentions at first but this handsome stranger offers her a chance at a new life. Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo tells her so she tells him she no longer wants to be with him.

Romeo's then turns his gaze towards Juliet, Rosealines younger cousin. Rosaline begins to realise that it is not only Juliet's reputation at stake, but also her life. Will Rosaline save Juliet from Romeo? Or will this story only ever end one way?

Having only ever read 2 of Shakespeares stories, Hamlet (meh) and Romeo and Juliet I was interested in this retelling. The writing flows well and I really enjoyed Rosealines character. Romeo on the over hand I hated with a passion. This book turned his character into well let’s be polite and call him a slug that preys on girls, not even women, GIRLS. I want to call him worse but I don’t want my review banned. I really have enjoyed reading this book and I don’t think I will ever read Romeo and Juliet in the same light ever again. Highly recommend this book especially if Shakespeare is not something you would normally read as this author has made the story interesting and so easy to read.

I’d seen a fair bit of buzz around this on bookstagram and was so pleased to be able to get an advance copy. The premise intrigued me, it sounded like it would be right up my street and was such an interesting way of re-telling such a huge story.

I wasn’t disappointed at all. Solomons writing is fantastic! She weaves in so many of the big moments that we all know and some passages and dialogue that I remember from the original. I’ve read “Romeo and Juliet” more than a few times thanks to a Leonardo DiCaprio obsession in the late 1990s/early 2000s and I just thought Solomons’ use of the original text was so clever.

I absolutely love Rosaline. Solomons has created such an incredible woman. She’s not perfect, she has her flaws, but that’s what makes her so great. She stands up for Juliet when nobody else is and I am absolutely here for that. She trusts her instincts, even in the face of intense gaslighting, and isn’t afraid to do what’s right. I love her relationship with Tybalt, thanks in no small part to John Leguizamo’s portrayal in the film I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Tybalt and the version Solomons has created here is even better.

As a teenager I was always caught up the whole forbidden love story but as I got older I came to realise how problematic the relationship is between Romeo and Juliet but Solomons has taken that a step further and pointed out how rotten the whole system is! Friar Lawrence in particular becomes much more sinister than before and the Capulets themselves need to take some of the blame for what becomes of Juliet.

I cannot recommend this highly enough, Solomons has put an incredibly unique spin on the tale. I found myself completely lost in the story and couldn’t stop reading it. I’m definitely going to have to check out more of Solomons’ books!

I thoroughly enjoyed this reimagining of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet 💞

🎭This version gives Roseline (Romeo's lover prior to Juliet, who is briefly mentioned in the play) a voice and a leading role. And what a feisty young thing she is!

🎭Very cleverly put together, this new story weaves it's way through the original play with such style.

🎭Be prepared to really dislike the reimagined Romeo. A lothario who chase's and breaks the hearts of a plethora of underage girls 🙈...what a brute!

🧙If you've watch the stage play of Wicked and loved it then this book is absolutely for you.
I'd also recommend this to all historical fiction lovers out there

Fair Rosaline is a spellbounding 'untelling' of one of the worlds greatest love stories.

I was instantly intrigued by this novels premise - Romeo and Juliet but not as we know it. I was not disappointed. We meet Rosaline who is only fleetingly mentioned in Shakespeare's play and we meet Romeo as a manilipulate, practiced liar, who preys on vulnerable young girls.

There is a contrast in the prose between the characters inner thoughts that are contemporary and the written speech which is more Shakespearian. This works really well as it reads fluidly, while still evoking the historical time period.

As Romeo's deceit is unravelled, the story becomes page turning. I loved the character development of Rosaline who emerges from meek and naive teenager to a determined, brave and strong lady.

The alternative plot line made me viscerally angry - a fabulous feminist take. Fair Rosaline is a cautionary tale that is still relevant in today's society.

The ending is highly poetic and lest anyone forgets, do not under estimate a woman scorned. The author notes are utterly fascinating and well worth reading.

I really enjoyed Fair Rosaline, and would happily recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books / Manilla Press for the eArc in exchange for a honest review.

I came to this book ready to love it – I really enjoy classic stories being reimagined and looked at from a female point of view, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous books ( especially Mr Rosenblum’s List, which I highly recommend).
You can probably tell there’s a ‘but’ coming, and that is that this is so far from the original material, so lacking in connection with the original, that it’s not so much a re-telling as a dismantling and creation of something, that apart from character names, is almost a completely new tale.
We do get some interesting and clever fleshing out of Rosaline’s character, but the extreme re-imagining required of most of the other characters to make this story work is so dark and distorted that I felt it shifted much too far from the source material.
I could imagine Romeo being a hormone-driven, fickle, and tempestuous young man, but making him a honey trap for a paedophile ring involving most of the grand men of Verona, was just too much of a stretch for me.
Having said that, this is an interesting, well-researched story in its own right, and I enjoyed reading it. I liked looking at the story from another Rosaline’s point of view, and getting to know better some of the relatively minor characters such as Tybalt.
So yes do read it, but be aware that if you are fond of the original tale, you will be seriously challenged!
with thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC

I loved this book. It is a very clever return to Romeo and Juliet. What if all was not as it appeared in Shakespeares version? The narrative weaves together several strands and sits believably into the lives and times of the Montagues and Capulets. Read it, you won’t be disappointed.

I confess to never having read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but I saw the modern film of the play, so had a sanitised view of the story. It therefore came as something of a shock to see Romeo cast in this novel as not the great romantic hero of all time, but part of a paedophile ring made of up wealthy powerful men, and men of the church.

The story builds steadily from Rosaline's loss of her mother, the lies she is told, her rebellion when faced with banishment to a nunnery, her exploitation by Romeo and her fight to protect Juliet from falling prey to the same fate as many women before. Rosaline is a very strong character though at the end her scheme to save Juliet becomes somewhat unbelievable, and faced with such powerful men I cannot believe she could succeed.

I love the language of this novel, so firmly set in its historical time, but so accessible. I love too that the setting is far back in history but the author makes it so relevant to today, a sad reminder that the world has not changed in hundreds of years.

After a slow start, 'Fair Rosaline' develops into a book that makes you rethink your opinions on one of the most famous stories of all time, 'Romeo and Juliet'. Shakespeare's play mentions several times that Romeo was in love with 'fair Rosaline' before meeting Juliet. In fact, he seemed extremely keen on her, only to drop her with indecent haste once Juliet came on the scene. She's never seen in the play herself, and disappears as the story of the 'star crossed lovers' continues to its inevitable end.

Natasha Solomons takes this unseen woman and makes her the narrator and hero of this retelling, which starts a couple of weeks before the events of 'Romeo and Juliet' and continues through to end at the same point. One thing I always forget is the ridiculously short timescale of Shakespeare's tragedy - the action in 'R&J' takes place over only four days. This imposed timescale makes events seem rather rushed and gives less time for good character development. Yet the first part of the book drags somewhat as it features a lot of Rosaline rhapsodising for long sections about how wonderful Romeo is, and how unfair life is, which isn't very interesting to read.

Rosaline is a strong main character, at least once she's stopped mooning around over Romeo. Her lot in life is appalling - as a woman, she has no say in her future and is treated literally as property. Her options - and she doesn't even get to choose between them herself - are to be married to whomever her father chooses, or confined to a nunnery for the rest of her days. She is dismissed, belittled and ignored throughout the book, as are the women around her.

Romeo does not come off well in this story at all. In fact, he is the villain of the piece. Initially I found this interpretation uncomfortable - it seemed so maladjusted with my own preconceptions about the story. But when I thought about it more critically I began to realise it is a reasonable interpretation of the information in the play. If we go only on that, and not the assumptions and reputation that has grown up around it, then you can't deny Romeo's behaviour could be seen as obsessive and predatory. By the end of the book, I was half convinced that the greatest love story of all time was in fact a seedy tale of child abuse.

It's not Solomons' best book, but it is an interesting concept and the second half is much more readable once it finally gets going. Her authorial decisions have been restricted by the need to fit around Shakespeare's original and some of the things that I would criticise about the plot are more Shakespeare's fault than Solomons'. If you are interested in Shakespeare, or like retellings with a twist, it is definitely worth reading.

This certainly paints a different portrait of Romeo! It was much darker than I expected and I'll read Shakespeare's play with different eyes now - I knew Juliet was young but guessed they both were. This is a very different story, which I found well written and compelling.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Fair Rosaline
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Natasha Solomons
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Historical Fiction
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: eARC
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 3rd August 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 7th July 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.5/5

”Young men’s love, I fear, lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.”

When the words Romeo & Juliet are expressed, the connotations implied are love & tragedy. Whilst the plot is entirely different in Fair Rosaline to the original Shakespeare, these themes remain the same.

The original Shakespearean character of Rosaline isn’t given a single line, and is consistently spoken about through the mainly lewd observations of men. The author takes this Rosaline and allows readers to stop ignoring her, giving her qualities of tenacity and cleverness, whilst still keeping her young and naive, someone susceptible to a man’s charms but with all the defiant righteousness to carry out justice.

Romeo is cast into a new, villainous role in Fair Rosaline. As more of a Lothario than a victim of star-crossed love. A few reviews seem to hate this, but I have no loyalty to the original Romeo and was able to welcome and enjoy this new, darkly retold character.

I thought that the writing was deeply romantic. Even when romance wasn’t at the forefront of the plot, the author writes with a blend of contemporary prose and Shakespearean dialogue. I thought that the effect was poetic whilst still managing to be a page turner.

Fair Rosaline works as a modernized retelling that is still truly reminiscent of Shakespeare, though, dare I say it, more dramatic? I read a few reviews before writing my own and was surprised at the divide from reviewers. It seems that most people have either loved it or hated it.

I am in camp love for Fair Rosaline.

—Kayleigh🤍
@ Welsh Book Fairy🧚‍♀️✨

I want to start thanking NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the chance to review this book in exchange of an honest review. A twist in one of the best-known tragedy? I was sold!
This book was suposed to be a subversive retelling of Romeo and Juliet's tragedy but all I read was a vilainised Romeo with a plain Rosaline.
I understand Solomons' interest in explaining the play from a Feminist point of view, in which the male characters get to be seen without that romantic tone but for what they really might have been. However, the book felt poorly written, not because of the writing style but because of the lack of reason behind everything there is in the story. I believe that retelling such story is very ambitious and for me it tried to be so subversive and alternative that ended up being unremarkable.

I found the idea of this exciting but I didn't like the execution. Giving voice and agency to Rosaline was brilliant, as was allowing Tybalt to be less one note but the novel as a whole didn't work for me.

Initially, I liked the idea of Romeo using lines on R that he later uses on Juliet, but then the constant lifting of Shakespeare's lines and giving them to others just felt jarring.

Romeo and Juliet is dark. It's a tragedy. It doesn't need a paedophile ring with Romeo at the centre.

An entirely new spin on Shakespeare's well-known Romeo and Juliet, that paints each character in an entirely new light, all told from Rosaline's perspective.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done a fantastic job of creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. The language is clear, concise, and evocative, with descriptions that bring the setting and characters to life. Dialogue is natural and authentic, and the pacing is well-balanced, with enough tension and release to keep the reader engaged.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book was every bit as good as I hoped it would be! Romeo in Romeo and Juliet always gave me the ick and this novel explores exactly why from the perspective of the woman he loved 5 minutes before he met Juliet. Highly recommend it when it comes out on 31st July.

Me? Absolutely obsessed with these covers? Yes 😍🥀
The book itself? Unfortunately not quite so much. As a self-confessed Romeo and Juliet nut and big lover of a modern Shakespeare retelling, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good - but something just didn’t quite click for me.

The briefly referenced “Fair” Rosaline comes to life here as Juliet’s older cousin. Following the death of her mother, she is destined for life in a convent but is granted 12 more days of "normal life" before she must depart. She meets and falls in love with Romeo, but he turns out not to be the romantic hero that we're all familiar with...

Despite a fantastic premise, this clever retelling strays just a little too far from the original for me. However, it also relies a little too heavily on it, with entire excepts being directly lifted. This made for some stark moments of inconsistency - Shakespearean? Modern day? It was difficult to tell.

I loved Rosaline and enjoyed the exploration of her relationship with Tybalt, but the alternative depiction of Romeo was also a little extreme for me.

A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️, but not one I'll be raving about unfortunately.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

This was an unexpected delight to read. There have been other reimaginings of Romeo and Juliet from Rosaline's perspective (one of which led to a film on Disney +) but this is one of the best. I think it's really important for the up and coming generation to be aware of how unromantic Romeo and Juliet is and this retelling does exactly that. We see the truth behind these famous lovers. But the most important elements of the story are when Rosaline is taking on the patriarchal machine that her family and community have built so she can save Juliet. The connection between Ros and Tybalt was also very sweet and again gave us another interpretation of Tybalt beyond the hotheaded and violent young man he is usually portrayed as. Overall a brilliant read and definitely one to recommend to English GCSE students when they study the play.

I was so excited to read Fair Rosaline after hearing so many good things online not to mention the FIRST RATE marketing that the publishers pulled out.

And if you love a twist on your traditional, then this is definitely for you. It took me a while to get into the style of times, as this is very much set in the time period and is NOT a re-imagining. I absolutely loved how the author was able to bring new life into the well-known tale of Romeo and Juliet.

I could probably go on for hours about this but I'd just be posting spoilers. So all I will say is - forget Leo. He is not THIS Romeo (and thank the Gods he's not).

Wow - what a great premise for a book. The retelling of Romeo and Juliet from Rosaline's perspective. I absolutely loved the feminist take on this narrative, it really made me look at Romeo and Juliet in a different light. Everything about this book is brilliant, the setting, the characters, the themes, and the writing is exquisite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc of this book.

This is a retelling of a classic Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet, with a twist.
Rosaline is a character mentioned briefly in the play, and this novel builds a whole other side to the story of the romance, which is Romeo and Juliet.
It's like a twisted fairytale, as everything romantic and heartwrenching is proven to be incorrect and, in fact, tortured, horrific and incredibly sad in those versions of events.
We, as a reader, if we know the original play, are made to question so much. There is enough ambiguity within the play to make a lot of what happens in Fair Rosaline a distinct possibility.
The point is, do we want to believe that there could have been a more sinister plot at play behind the scenes?
I have studied different texts like this, for example, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard, based upon two characters mentioned in passing in Hamlet. and they create fascinating backstories which may not have been on our Bard's mind but can add another level of depth to an already well-known story.
I have to say it did hook me, and made me feel a bit upset at the thought of Romeo not being who we always thought he was!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books, Manilla Press for an ARC.