Review: Much Ado About Nothing

Title - Much Ado About Nothing

Author - C.E. Wilson

Series - Shakespeare for Everyone Else #1

Genre - YA Romance

Format - Kindle Review Copy

Published - November 1st 2013

(Goodreads)(Amazon)

Synopsis

Shakespeare’s work features some of the most memorable stories and characters ever created, yet for too many curious readers the combination of ultra-dense dialogue and unfamiliar historical settings make tackling the Bard’s work something between a tedious chore and a confusing mess of bird-bolts and quondam carpet-mongers.

While it’s nearly impossible to replicate or improve on these works, it is (thanks to their timeless nature) possible to make them more accessible to a wider audience.

In this Young Adult retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic plays, join C.E. Wilson as she breathes new life into Much Ado About Nothing, the first in her series 

Shakespeare for Everyone Else.

Two couples.

Clark and Heaven.

Beatriz and Bennett.

After years of friendship Clark decides that his senior year is the time to finally profess his love to his long-time crush Heaven; a sweet and simple girl who her father knows to be loyal, trustworthy and caring. She returns Clark’s love because, like him, she has also seen her feelings blossom over time. Theirs is a cute love that differs a bit from the other couple in the play.

Beatriz and Bennett at first glance seem to want nothing to do with the other. Every conversation, every remark is a withering attack which reveals their lost history and similarities. It’s not long before their friends hatch a plan to set them up because everyone is convinced they still love and care for one another. Will either of them be able to resist the strong attraction between them?

As these two couples try to make it through their senior year, their friend Donnie does what he can to keep the group happy. The problem lies in Donnie’s half-brother Jason who wants nothing more than to spoil the fun – even at the cost of Heaven’s reputation.

When both couples are pushed to the limits, whose love will endure?

Find out in this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s memorable play Much Ado About Nothing.

Review

I received Much Ado About Nothing in return for an honest review from the author. Much Ado About Nothing is a modern day retelling of Shakespeare’s classic with the same name. The story revolves around two couple and a few of their friends. First there is Heaven she’s your sweet pure girl who has gone off to band camp for the summer. Clark is in love with Heaven and after a long summer apart asks her father to date his daughter. Than we have my personal favorite Beatriz and Bennett they used to be a couple but something happened and now they spar back and forth verbally with each other. We also get to know Donnie very well he has feelings for Beatriz but he’s best friends with Bennett and Clark. 

The boys play soccer together, and during the summer they spent most of it beating Donnie’s step-brothers team. The brothers already have some tension between them, Jason is determine to not let Donnie’s team beat him this year even if it means doing something dishonest. Jason decides that he is going to use Clark’s relationship with Heaven as a wait to hurt the team. That’s not the only scheming happening, the group is trying to get Beatriz and Bennett together. Will Jason’s plan work? Will they be able to get Beatriz and Bennett together?

I love Beatriz and Bennett they are always going to be my favorite. I love the way they spar together verbally and deep down still care about each other. Heaven and Clark frustrated me but the original ones did too. My heart goes out for Donnie he’s the good guy who needs a good girl to love. 

When I was offered the chance to read C.E. Wilson’s new series I jumped at the chance. She’s one of my favorites authors a must read. So when she offered me her newest series a modern day Shakespeare I was thrilled to learn she had chosen my favorite as her first book. I had big expectations for her book, which she exceeded by leaps and bounds. 

The story is set in the current time with all our characters as high school students from jock’s to band nerds. Since Much Ado About Nothing is set in current time it’s easy to connect with the characters. . It’s a clean story I think would be fun to read in an English class. The author has done a fantastic job of re-inventing the characters into those we can all connect with. The author has added her own unique twists creating a captivating story that I had a hard time putting down. I actually read the book in one sitting losing all track of time. I can’t wait to see what she has planned for the next book in the series. This is such a great retelling I know it’s going to be my go to book when I need a fix in the future. I just really loved the whole story it’s brilliantly done. 
5 out of 5 stars