There aren’t very many surprises we know darn well what’s going to happen. NOT THE CASE in When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle. And everytime this story gets retold, I’m quick to look for all the spins and twists to make it COOLER THAN SHAKESPEARE’S while still having those delicious nods to the original. Romeo and Juliet never struck as me as romantic, but certainly tragic. How many times have we heard this oh-so-tragic tale of starcrossed lovers? Not just in Shakespeare but in EVERYTHING. But, before you go and judge me, I DO like Shakespeare. And I WANTED Juliet to be the bad guy.Īll I have to say is thank God I Romeo and Juliet was never my favorite. But, I got so into the book, that I almost wanted that to be how the story went. And I kept thinking to myself 'What if he was wrong? What if he was completely wrong, and this was how the story was supposed to be?' Which is CRAZY. The book was so good, that in fact, in the end, I had this moment where I thought that Romeo and Juliet was nonfiction, and that Shakespeare really did get the story wrong. The book really took you into the world of the 'lovers.'' Even though I knew how most of the story would play out (Rob would fall in love with Juliet, and then they would both die) I was still surprised when and where and how all of it happened. When You Were Mine was as expected, really good. Immediately Juliet and Rob start hanging out and Juliet once again gets everything she wants.

Rosaline (Rose) is living a great life at her High school with her wonderful boyfriend, Rob, until her ex-best friend Juliet arrives. When You Were Mine is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet in the modern times, but with a twist.