by Poppy Alexander

A Romance, 2025 by Avon and Harper Voyager , 336 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

A modern retelling of an old classic in a new setting CAN work. But these names being so obviously copied from Romeo and Juliet bothered me. Also, Aunt Flo? Really? The naming needed work.
Oh no, an error in a specialized field I happen to be in: book finder doesn’t actually LIST anything. It compiles lists from other sites. This is one of those things that will only really bother me.
Some of the scenes end too abruptly. Many times, they’re the emotional scenes. This is likely so the author can keep the misunderstandings running but it makes the emotions feel fake. In a romance you want the emotions to shine, it hurts to have that be missing from this story.
A little too instalove for my tastes. Plus, the miscommunication that almost breaks them is never addressed to my satisfaction. There was an overwhelming sort of forgiveness of HIM and a blame on his family which seems a tad unfair, considering.

Aunt Flo is a great character (despite the terrible name). I liked her ambition and her independent streak. Also, as someone who also specialized in recommending books to readers, her talent was nice to see!
The obvious differences between the bookshops was a good touch. One who can specialize in recommendations and antique books while the other can specialize in having everything new.

If you like quick cutesy romance books and don’t mind retelling references, this one fits the bill.

For me, stepping back from emotional scenes is problematic in a romance. This one ultimately lacked depth.