Review: The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

Characters: 4

Cover: 4

Plot: 4

Setting: 4

Writing: 4

SUMMARY

Kate Sanderson has been burned by love. From now on, she thinks, I will control my own destiny, and I will be reasoned and rational. But life has other things in store for Kate. Namely, a summer abroad studying Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in the very town where the star-crossed lovers met, Verona, Italy. Kate is thrown together with two other American teens and three Italians for a special seminar--and for volunteer duty at the Juliet Club, where they answer letters from the lovelorn around the world. Can Kate's cool logic withstand the most romantic summer ever? Especially when faced with the ever-so-charming Giacomo and his entrancing eyes . . . ?

REVIEW

So. First, I want to start off on how I was trying to figure out what book to read, when I saw this one. I'd read Anna and the French Kiss about a year ago, and I was left so deeply touched by it that every since, I've been trying to cram in more contemporary romance into my reading schedule, and trust me guys, I have a lot of books to get through by the time they're due at the library. First of all, I'm trying my hand at Nicholas Sparks, after a very good friend recommended it to me, along with Twilight. And another very good friend recommended Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, so I have to get to those.

Anyways, I picked this up in a desperate chance to get to read this, because so little people nowadays pay attention to contemporary (it's all paranormal and dystopian romance nowadays), and thus there are very few reviews for it in the book blogosphere. So I've had to fend for my own for a good contemporary romance novel that will nearly move me to tears.

I entered this book with really high expectations, thanks to Anna, and my expectations were fulfilled pretty completely. During the first three or so chapters, I felt that it was going really slow because Kate had yet to get the opportunity to go to Verona, Italy. In these chapters, however, we learned how cynical Kate was because her so-called boyfriend, Jerome, rudely broke up with her when she believed that they were in love.

Once Kate finally met Giacomo, the action really sped up, and then I couldn't get enough of it. Until I got to that point, however, it was slow to me. But if you are encouraged to read this, just bear with the first five or so chapters. The romance wasn't actually that strong to me, but it definitely was there, but one little pet peeve I had was that Kate never actually told Giacomo that she loved him. And for the last few chapters when everything was supposed to be tying up, I was mentally hollering at Kate to say the three words. 

Yes, I know that those three words may be the hardest words to say when you're dating someone, and I'm not saying that I've actually said them other than to family and friends, but it's easier—I think—if you'd be next to say it. For example, I think if the boy tells you they love you first, then you should be able to say "I love you" back because you know of the other person's feelings. So I didn't know why at all Kate didn't say it back, but maybe I missed it.

Four Snowflakes