Alison Green, aspiring valedictorian, is the producer of her high school production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, or as her best friend Becca calls it: Ye Olde Shakespearean Disaster. Besides producing the play, she has to uphold her grades and try to avoid her crush Charlotte.
Will she be able to successfully produce the play before the curtain call?
Thank you Netgalley and Second Story Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ (3)
"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing."
'The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life' was a cute read. I liked that it was focused on theater, which I don't think happens very often in YA. I wasn't in a theater group in high school, but because of this book, I wish I was. It seems like so much fun!
Her friend Becca was probably my favorite character. She's very supportive and seemed to care a lot about Alison.
I'm also happy that this is a f/f romance. I don't read enough of those.
"I wanted people to think I had everything under control."
The phrase above really spoke to me. In this day and age it sometimes feels like you HAVE to be okay and to be outstanding. When you feel like you're not doing okay, you pretend to be.
It was very nice to see someone else say it.
You can't order someone to have fun, can you?
Sadly it took me a while to get into the story and to like the main character. Alison has a habit of minding everyone's business, when she had a lot of things to do herself.
For example during the scene where Alison invited a third person on a date. This part annoyed me so much! It really made me dislike the character.
The relationship felt very flat. Maybe it should've happened sooner, so that the author could really develop the relationship more. I also didn't really like that the MC needed to be "more out". I don't think that you can expect that from someone. Let them be as out as they want to be.
The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life is out on September 22nd, but you can already pre-order it!
REP: Lesbian MC, pan love-interest, gay side character, Moroccan-American side character Korean-American side character