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margaret's review
4.0
This was 110% overdramatic and it's exactly what Shakespeare would have wanted
booksandladders's review
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
DNF @ 45%
I was not a fan of how this one started. There were way too many POVs and the story wasn't that intriguing. I didn't like the casual aspects of well this is clearly a thing because we're at camp that weren't given any more detail. This should have been a book I adored - Shakespeare retelling, set at a summer camp, LGBTQ+ romance - but no. It took too long to get anywhere interesting, I don't care "what happened," and the LGBTQ+ romance was so rushed and is going to be overshadowed by the heterosexual one so I really don't care. I couldn't bother finishing but based on the current trajectory, it would have been a 2 star read from me.
DNF @ 45%
I was not a fan of how this one started. There were way too many POVs and the story wasn't that intriguing. I didn't like the casual aspects of well this is clearly a thing because we're at camp that weren't given any more detail. This should have been a book I adored - Shakespeare retelling, set at a summer camp, LGBTQ+ romance - but no. It took too long to get anywhere interesting, I don't care "what happened," and the LGBTQ+ romance was so rushed and is going to be overshadowed by the heterosexual one so I really don't care. I couldn't bother finishing but based on the current trajectory, it would have been a 2 star read from me.
mwhitm's review against another edition
3.0
+summer camp!! So fun
-so many characters that were confusing/unnecessary? But maybe that just mirrors the Shakespeare element
-so many problems could have been solved with just better communication
-story kinda boring but I guess it was just going through the events of the original play
-so many characters that were confusing/unnecessary? But maybe that just mirrors the Shakespeare element
-so many problems could have been solved with just better communication
-story kinda boring but I guess it was just going through the events of the original play
minorasimulator's review
3.0
I kinda have a thing for young adult books set at summer camp, because there are nowhere near enough of them in my life. And at the very start of this book, it was exactly what I wanted it to be - a fun story taking place at camp.
And then the Shakespeare plot started happening, the one that I'd completely forgotten was going to happen. Now, I've never read Much Ado About Nothing, but I did see it performed in 2009 for drama class. The reason the play works is because it's the kind of ridiculous plotline and staging you can only pull off in a play. It didn't really work here.
Apart from the complete ridiculousness of the plot transplant, the writing style was okay, but the constant POV changes were hard to adjust to. Like some other books I've read with multiple POVs, it's difficult to tell the difference between who's talking. Also, there was some diversity but it was just there, like... Bee was adopted from Ethiopia when she was 5, Claudia is gay and Hana is bi, but it doesn't really have an impact on the story. I was looking forward to a bit more exploration of that, but was disappointed.
I dunno. I guess if you needed an easily accessible version of MAAN, this would be a good choice, but otherwise I can't really sing praises. 2 stars, plus 1 star for summer camp nostalgia. I'm summer camp trash.
And then the Shakespeare plot started happening, the one that I'd completely forgotten was going to happen. Now, I've never read Much Ado About Nothing, but I did see it performed in 2009 for drama class. The reason the play works is because it's the kind of ridiculous plotline and staging you can only pull off in a play. It didn't really work here.
Apart from the complete ridiculousness of the plot transplant, the writing style was okay, but the constant POV changes were hard to adjust to. Like some other books I've read with multiple POVs, it's difficult to tell the difference between who's talking. Also, there was some diversity but it was just there, like... Bee was adopted from Ethiopia when she was 5, Claudia is gay and Hana is bi, but it doesn't really have an impact on the story. I was looking forward to a bit more exploration of that, but was disappointed.
I dunno. I guess if you needed an easily accessible version of MAAN, this would be a good choice, but otherwise I can't really sing praises. 2 stars, plus 1 star for summer camp nostalgia. I'm summer camp trash.
leslielikesthings's review against another edition
4.0
I love Much Ado About Nothing, and I love retellings of Shakespeare comedies, so this book was just completely up my alley. Summer camp is the perfect modern day setting for this story. I LOVED the first 75% or so of this. The last 25% didn't hold up as well for me, it all came to a pretty speedy conclusion that didn't end up being all the satisfying for me. But in general I was into this book.
mirandacasuga's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
idk it was fun. it was dramatic in a fun way i guess. it was also really forgettable.
emmascc's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I feel biased about this because I absolutely love Much Ado about Nothing, it's easily my favourite play by Shakespeare and so I was bound to love this. And I did really enjoy it, for the most part everything about this was pretty great. My only issue is with Hana and Claudia at the end, I did feel like that wasn't resolved enough, everything that happened was swept under the rug. Otherwise, this was great.
I feel biased about this because I absolutely love Much Ado about Nothing, it's easily my favourite play by Shakespeare and so I was bound to love this. And I did really enjoy it, for the most part everything about this was pretty great. My only issue is with Hana and Claudia at the end, I did feel like that wasn't resolved enough, everything that happened was swept under the rug. Otherwise, this was great.
bizzybee429's review
Do you, dear reader of this review, know how much I wanted to like this?? Do you know how much??
So it was probably one of my biggest book disappointments of 2017 when Nothing Happened turned out to be,,,,,, meh.
Before I begin, though, I should put a disclaimer. I’ve been in a reading slump for the past, idk, like two or ten months, and every time I think it’s finally gone for good it pops up again like
One thing this book did get right was the D R A M A. Though it didn’t hit the Much Ado About Nothing/Shakespeare comedy vibe right on the nose, it got the spirit of all the capital-D Drama in Much Ado down to a tee.
Also, if there’s one thing that could make Much Ado About Nothing, perhaps my all-time favorite Shakespeare play, better, it’s putting queer girls in it. Make Shakespeare Gay Again
But, uh, that was pretty much all I liked.
The characters were all way too flat and boring. I couldn’t connect to any of them. Not one. I think this was partly due to the fact that there were waaaaaaaayyyyyy too many narrators. We were introduced to five new narrators (all in first person) within the first fifteen percent of the novel. And I couldn’t tell any of them apart, much less any of the side characters. Though Much Ado does have a lot of storylines that all happen at the same time, I think that this could have been handled in a better way, instead of having 5 first-person narrators.
I can’t really talk about plot, because, you know, it’s just Much Ado About Nothing. Just go read the blurb for Much Ado About Nothing. And then picture it at a summer camp. There you go.
The writing was juvenile and choppy. I usually don’t mind juvenile writing, when the book is written for a young audience, but the majority of these characters are 18- and 19-years-old, and yet the way they spoke and the way the book wrote their actions made it seem like they were in seventh grade. They definitely had the issues that a lot of late-teenagers have, but the writing wasn’t on the same level. The dialogue also didn’t flow well, and if there is one thing I physically cannot read it’s choppy dialogue.
So, yeah, that’s about it. Props to the author for putting sapphic girls into my favorite Shakespeare show, but the execution of the story and characters itself makes me cry, because, as said before, I wanted to like this so bad. So freaking bad.
I was ready to shout this book from the rooftops. I was ready to personally mail a physical copy to everyone I know. I was ready to do some Disney Channel crap and “accidentally” text a picture of the cover to the entire school. I was SO excited to read this.
So it was probably one of my biggest book disappointments of 2017 when Nothing Happened turned out to be,,,,,, meh.
Before I begin, though, I should put a disclaimer. I’ve been in a reading slump for the past, idk, like two or ten months, and every time I think it’s finally gone for good it pops up again like
so who knows! This might be my reading slump talking, but, uh, this book was not for me.
One thing this book did get right was the D R A M A. Though it didn’t hit the Much Ado About Nothing/Shakespeare comedy vibe right on the nose, it got the spirit of all the capital-D Drama in Much Ado down to a tee.
Also, if there’s one thing that could make Much Ado About Nothing, perhaps my all-time favorite Shakespeare play, better, it’s putting queer girls in it. Make Shakespeare Gay Again
But, uh, that was pretty much all I liked.
The characters were all way too flat and boring. I couldn’t connect to any of them. Not one. I think this was partly due to the fact that there were waaaaaaaayyyyyy too many narrators. We were introduced to five new narrators (all in first person) within the first fifteen percent of the novel. And I couldn’t tell any of them apart, much less any of the side characters. Though Much Ado does have a lot of storylines that all happen at the same time, I think that this could have been handled in a better way, instead of having 5 first-person narrators.
I can’t really talk about plot, because, you know, it’s just Much Ado About Nothing. Just go read the blurb for Much Ado About Nothing. And then picture it at a summer camp. There you go.
The writing was juvenile and choppy. I usually don’t mind juvenile writing, when the book is written for a young audience, but the majority of these characters are 18- and 19-years-old, and yet the way they spoke and the way the book wrote their actions made it seem like they were in seventh grade. They definitely had the issues that a lot of late-teenagers have, but the writing wasn’t on the same level. The dialogue also didn’t flow well, and if there is one thing I physically cannot read it’s choppy dialogue.
So, yeah, that’s about it. Props to the author for putting sapphic girls into my favorite Shakespeare show, but the execution of the story and characters itself makes me cry, because, as said before, I wanted to like this so bad. So freaking bad.
cassie_reads's review
3.0
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite Shakespeare play, so of course I needed to read this modernization. There were many things about this novel that I loved. I loved the diversity, of both character ethnicity and sexuality. I loved the way the characters from the play were adapted into a modern setting. I think the modernized setting at a summer camp was perfect for this story, where rumors run wild and hookups are common.
The adaptation choices were really smart almost across the board, from making the Watch Counselors-in-Training, the youngest in the hierarchy who no one listens to, to making the prince and his brother sons of a Senator. I really appreciated how much thought went into characters and events.
However, the novel suffered from the way it was told. There were too many first-person voices. While I understand the choice, the transitions were jarring and the voices were not distinct enough for me to always keep clear who was speaking. I think the story would have been much stronger if the author had chosen third-person instead, making the transitions between focal characters smoother. I also felt that the falling out between "Hero" and "Claudio" wasn't strong enough, and the resolution was anti-climactic. The modernized version lacked the stakes from the original story.
All in all, I enjoyed the read, but there are elements I felt could have been done better.
Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite Shakespeare play, so of course I needed to read this modernization. There were many things about this novel that I loved. I loved the diversity, of both character ethnicity and sexuality. I loved the way the characters from the play were adapted into a modern setting. I think the modernized setting at a summer camp was perfect for this story, where rumors run wild and hookups are common.
The adaptation choices were really smart almost across the board, from making the Watch Counselors-in-Training, the youngest in the hierarchy who no one listens to, to making the prince and his brother sons of a Senator. I really appreciated how much thought went into characters and events.
However, the novel suffered from the way it was told. There were too many first-person voices. While I understand the choice, the transitions were jarring and the voices were not distinct enough for me to always keep clear who was speaking. I think the story would have been much stronger if the author had chosen third-person instead, making the transitions between focal characters smoother. I also felt that the falling out between "Hero" and "Claudio" wasn't strong enough, and the resolution was anti-climactic. The modernized version lacked the stakes from the original story.
All in all, I enjoyed the read, but there are elements I felt could have been done better.