Title: Julieta and The Romeos
Author: Maria E. Andreu
Genre: Contemporary YA/ Romance
Publisher: Balzer + Bray / Harper360ya
Pages: 400
Release Date: 22 June 2023
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Hello fellow booklovers! Today I'm back with my review for Julieta and The Romeos by Maria E. Andreu. A fun, bookish and hopelessly romantic read that takes all the sizzling chemistry of Romeo and Juliet and infuses with an intriguing, You’ve Got Mail-style premise—guaranteed to delight fans of Emma Lord or Jenny Han.
Synopsis
Julieta isn't looking for her Romeo--but she iswriting about love. When her summer writing teacher encourages the class to publish their work online, the last thing she's expecting is to get a notification that her rom-com has a mysterious new contributor, Happily Ever Drafter. Julieta knows that happily ever afters aren't real. (Case in point: her parents' imploding marriage.) But then again, could this be her very own meet-cute?
As things start to heat up in her fiction, Julieta can't help but notice three boys in her real life: her best friend's brother (aka her nemesis), the boy next door (well, to her abuela), and her oldest friend (who is suddenly looking . . . hot?). Could one of them be her mysterious collaborator? But even if Julieta finds her Romeo, she'll have to remember that life is full of plot twists. . . .
From the author of Love in English comes a fresh take on love and romance, and a reminder to always be the author of your own life story.
Review
I enjoyed this soo much! The depth and nuance we explore in protagonist Julieta, as she embarks on such a deeply emotional journey (exploring her dreams, establishing her identity, and learning to embrace her future) was marvellous— I found myself identifying with soo many aspects of her character, especially in the way she finds comfort in stories (and creating/sharing them.)
We also get to read some of Julieta’s work throughout the story (including online chapter entries, scribbled idea notes and even a couple of poems) which really helped to understand her thought processes and really brought a sense of realism to her character. I was particularly impressed with Andreu’s evocative prose and the ease with which she was able to convey the all too familiar emotions and fears experienced by teens on the precipice of change.
The mystery surrounding the identity of Happily Ever Drafter was really well paced and, though I did manage to guess who it was, it wasn’t something that was immediately obvious (at least to me.) The chemistry Julieta has with all three love interests was also pretty good which made it nearly impossible to pick a fave.
I absolutely loved the inclusion of Argentinian culture (I pretty much salivated over all the foods mentioned) and, though this is the first book by Andreu I’ve ever read, I know it certainly won’t be the last!
So if you love coming of age rom-coms, authentic HEA endings and plenty of humour filled, swoon-worthy romance— I definitely recommend checking this out!
Also, a huge thank you to Harper360ya for the proof
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
About The Author
