Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo? Ah Romeo and Juliet one of those classic love stories written by William Shakespeare. It not much or a love story, more of a love tragedy, for (shocker) everyone dies. Juliet wants to be with Romeo so she pretends to kill herself, Romeo sees Juliet acts dead and kills himself out of grief. Juliet wakes up to see that her love have killed himself, so she commits suicide out of her grief. How is that love? Around this main love there are smaller love stories, and more death. Yet what if there was a way to change the ending? What if Juliet and Romeo can survive and run off together? What if this was all up to a sour seventeen year old who feels trapped just like Juliet? Could she do it?

“Look its Mimi Wallingford, great-granddaughter of Adelaide Wallingford”. This is the title Mimi was use of people knowing her by. The Wallingford was a famous name in the theater business because of the Wallingford Theater. The only theater on this side of New York City that still puts on Shakespeare plays. Currently running the great Romeo and Juliet play. Mimi got cast the role of Juliet, not that she was happy about it. Mimi hated acting. Ever since her mother put her in the Twelfth Night at age three, she’s been doing Shakespeare’s play, after play, and she hated each one more than the next. Her true dream? It was to go to ULA and study pre-med like her aunt. On the last performance of Romeo and Juliet she and her mother got into a fight about the necklace Mimi was wearing. It was a gift from her aunt that held the ashes for one of Shakespeare quills that could have been the once he wrote Romeo and Juliet from. Running out the back door with her superstar, pretty-boy, Romeo played by Troy Summers, the vile breaks covering them in a cloud of ashes. That ashes transport them straight into Romeo’s and Juliet’s story.

Transported into Shakespeare’s Verona, it takes Mimi a while to figure out what is going on, and it took her even longer to explain it all to Troy and to get him to see. Because Mimi was wearing her Juliet outfit she was wearing Capulets colors. Transported straight to the Capulets house by guards she got to meet the evil Lady Capulets who put her in Juliet’s room. The whole house was preparing for the ball, the same ball where Juliet and Romeo were supposed to meet at. But because of Mimi they do not. Because they do not meet, Juliet’s wedding is set, and Mimi is banished from the Capulets house. Mimi then sets off to find Troy and explain the whole situation. Once they understand what is going on they are to face an even bigger problem. The only way they can go home is if the story goes back on Shakespeare tracks. The only problem is Mimi does not want Juliet to kill herself. Troy and Mimi have to work together in order to save Romeo and Juliet from their tragic fates. But get them together so that they can go home. If Mimi has to risk something would it be her life, or her younger twin Juliet’s.

Suzanne Selfors did an amazing job on this story. I have never read the story Romeo and Juliet, but this story made it easy to understand and get the most information about what happen. I love how she made Troy the standard pretty boy, celebrity but gave him depth in the end. How Mimi and Juliet were both alike in their feeling of being trapped. Even how she explains why the Montagues and Capulets were fighting. Even though she did not give a happy ending for those two families, she did mend some relationships, like Troy’s and Mimi’s. How in the end Juliet and Mimi could both turn back to their mother as a parent and not as the enemy. For an extra touch Suzanne even added Shakespeare quotes at the beginning of each chapter. The ending was not shocking, but it gave you the happy feeling that not every love tragedy has to end badly.