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lavendermarch's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a pretty quick read. I read it in one sitting of a little over an hour. It definitely grabs you and doesn't let you go. It's a retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and it's done in a refreshing, fun way. The Montagues and the Capulets are the Rosemans and the Caccamanis, and Romeo and Juliet are sixty years old. The age thing - as in, not teenagers, but older people - was not something I'd seen before. One, I'm nowhere near that age, so I don't go looking for books with people that age, and two, I just like YA and new adult, so it's not really in my genres of choice. However, it was done in a cool way, and I thought it was nice.
I liked all the characters in this novel. Julie and Romeo, of course, were great. Julie's daughter Sandy was my favorite character, and I was very happy for her at one point at the end. She had understandable reactions and was very sweet and caring. Nora, on the other hand, my emotions were more negative towards. She seemed irritating and cold, but eventually I thought she was entertaining and did love her family. Romeo's kids I didn't love because of their behavior, but his one daughter, Plummy, was my second favorite character. She was very over the entire situation and didn't let anyone push her around.
The plot, by the way, is well done. Flower shops and a budding romance and feeding families make for a good story.
All in all, I'd very much recommend reading this if you like Romeo and Juliet. While it's not about teenagers, it's actually done in a way that makes the plot more interesting. There's more perspective in a lot of ways about life. 4 stars.
I liked all the characters in this novel. Julie and Romeo, of course, were great. Julie's daughter Sandy was my favorite character, and I was very happy for her at one point at the end. She had understandable reactions and was very sweet and caring. Nora, on the other hand, my emotions were more negative towards. She seemed irritating and cold, but eventually I thought she was entertaining and did love her family. Romeo's kids I didn't love because of their behavior, but his one daughter, Plummy, was my second favorite character. She was very over the entire situation and didn't let anyone push her around.
The plot, by the way, is well done. Flower shops and a budding romance and feeding families make for a good story.
All in all, I'd very much recommend reading this if you like Romeo and Juliet. While it's not about teenagers, it's actually done in a way that makes the plot more interesting. There's more perspective in a lot of ways about life. 4 stars.
valeriemcquade's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
maria161985's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book to be somewhat entertaining, but a little bit too predictable, especially since I had seen the front cover of the book and sort of 'knew' what would happen in the end. I found some of the characters to be a bore, especially Mort and Joe, whom acted like tough men throughout most of the novel. Romeo and Julie's relationship was almost like that of two lovesick teenagers, which was cute at times, but annoying at others. I found it comforting to read what happened with Tony and Sandy, but wished to know more about how the rest of Romeo's family was dealing with the aftermath. There were a few loose ends which I would love to see resolved in a future storyline.
betseyboo's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to read a sweet story in honor of Valentine's Day and I got it with this book. A charming piece of book candy.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
An absolutely delightful love story with a twist on Shakespeare's tragedy. Julie Roseman falls for Romeo Cacciamani though their families are sworn enemies and rival florsits. As an aside, Jeanne Ray is the mother of author Ann Patchett ("Bel Canto")
alidottie's review against another edition
3.0
A nice little book and kind of fun that the main characters are 60 and have to deal with their children trying to tell them what to do instead of visa versa.