Romeo & What's Her Name

December 1, 2016

Gr 7-10Emily has been pining for Wes Rosenthal for as long as she can remember. Finally, her moment arrives when she discovers that Wes has broken up with his longtime girlfriend, Leora. As Emily strategizes about how to get Wes to notice her, Amanda, the most popular girl in school and Emily's nemesis, breaks up with her boyfriend to pursue Wes, too. On top of that, Emily has been cast as Amanda's understudy in their high school's newest Shakespeare production, and Wes is the lead. Now both girls are vying for his attention, and neither is willing to give up. As Emily struggles to learn Shakespearean lines, run errands for the ever-demanding Amanda, and find ways to capture Wes's attention, she begins to wonder if any of her efforts will pay off. Then circumstances land her a role in the most romantic scene from Romeo and Juliet, playing opposite her crush. Will this be the way to win Wes's heart? Petroff's latest offering, published by Macmillan's crowdsourced imprint, will delight romance lovers with its fast pace and humorous tone. VERDICT This sweet, lighthearted look at high school romantic foibles will be of particular interest to fans of books by Ann Brashares and Jennifer Echols.-Tabitha Nordby, Red River College, Manitoba

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
Grades 7-10 It's not just because of Wes Rosenthal that Emily signs up to audition for a scene in her school's annual Shakespeare Festshe really does need the extra credit in English. So what if Wes, her long-time crush, tries out for a scene from Romeo and Juliet? When Emily is cast as the Juliet understudy, it's a best-case scenario: she can get her extra credit and hang with the boy of her dreams without actually having to perform. But Amanda, the talented-but-nasty diva cast as Juliet, also has her sights on Wes and is doing all she can to get Emily out of the picture. When a last-minute hospital stay puts Amanda out of commission, Emily has to step in. Completely unprepared. Gulp. This has all the hallmarks of a high-school romance: a swoon-worthy male lead, a requisite mean girl, and plenty of backstage dallying and wacky miscommunication. Spunky Emily has great friends beside her, and it's this, even more than her budding romance with Wes, that makes this a worthwhile read. Flirty and fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)