Yay or Nay? Books Meghan Gave to Me (Part 1): Juliet and Unspeakable

It seems like this summer, is turning into a Summer of historical fiction. And this is all thanks to the careful selections that Meghan made when going through her bookshelf and lending me some reads. So today  I'll go through the first two that I read so far!

First up: "Juliet" by Anne Portier

Synopsis

Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy.

This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever—a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei. In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

But six centuries have a way of catching up to the present, and Julie gradually begins to discover that here, in this ancient city, the past and present are hard to tell apart. The deeper she delves into the history of Romeo and Giulietta, and the closer she gets to the treasure they allegedly left behind, the greater the danger surrounding her—superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the unforgettable blood feud, she begins to fear that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is destined to be its next target. Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from this dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago. Or did it?

My Thoughts

I have a difficult relationship with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and I don't keep it a secret. I find those two kids absolutely ridiculous, and I hate how glorified their alleged "love" story is, and how "romantic" it is and blah blah vomit. I realize that many analyses say that Shakespeare meant it as more of a cautionary tale, but in our society it is still somewhat seen as a gold standard for romance. So I was quite curious how my negative opinion of the source material would play out on my enjoyment of "Juliet". And thank fully my opinions were quite different.

I loved how the story revolved around a treasure around the city of Siena. The author described it so vividly that I felt like I was there myself, crawling through tunnels and walking the cobblestones hoping the find the next clue. And since this story is told through alternating perspectives between the present and the past, this helps enrich the full story of the treasure the entire time. The author also does a great job differentiating the writing styles of the two perspectives. This made me even more excited for my upcoming trip to Italy! Maybe I will stumble upon an old treasure there. And my find my Alessandro.

And speaking of Alessandro, man that guy was swoon worthy! He was mysterious, seemed like he could be dangerous, but was also charming just as soon as you were about to start hating him. In other words, he was a complex combo of jackass, sexy, and sweet! All you want in a fictitious love interest! And the book constantly kept me guessing as to what his true backstory was! Meghan has heard all my crazy theories lol.

One thing I didn't enjoy at times, was the main character, Juliet. She could have been kind of annoying and obnoxious at times, and I wanted to go and shake her. Even Janice (her sister, who I didn't like at first) seemed super chill and smart and normal in comparison to Juliet!

Overall, this was an awesome book with a great historical vibe that I think is perfect for a summer read!

5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 #2: "Unspeakable" by Caroline Pignat 

Synopsis

On her first voyage as a stewardess aboard the Empress of Ireland, Ellie is drawn to the solitary fire stoker who stands by the ship’s rail late at night, often writing in a journal.

Jim. Ellie finds it hard to think of his name now. After their wonderful time in Quebec City, that awful night happened. The screams, the bodies, the frigid waters … she tries hard to tell herself that he survived, but it’s hard to believe when so many didn’t. So when Wyatt Steele, journalist at The New York Times asks her for her story, Ellie refuses. But when he shows her Jim’s journal, she jumps at the chance to be able to read it herself, to find some trace of the man she had fallen in love with, or perhaps a clue to what happened to him. There’s only one catch: she will have to tell her story to Steele and he’ll “pay” her by giving her the journal, one page at a time.

My Thoughts

Wow, this was a really interesting book! I had no idea what it was gonna be like, since I've never heard anything about it (Canadian books are always so damn underrated!).

Right at the beginning of the story, we find ourselves with many questions about the circumstances of Ellie being on the ship, and about her relationship with the mysterious boiler room worker, Jim. I found it really enjoying how the clues were revealed piece by piece, I found the novel very excellently paced, without being too fast nor too slow.

I felt like it was very clear that the author did a great amount of research to put this book together, and this came through especially in the description of the sinking.

I also felt quite satisfied with the direction that the character development of the main character Ellie happened. I like how she grew empowered through the novel, and gained a sense of ownership in her life. I think that that's a wonderful message to be sending to the young readers this book is targeted to, and one that young women will be positively influenced by.

I am somewhat disappointed she didn't end up being with the guy that I though she'd be in! I was shipping them hard, and now I feel like my buddy got friendzoned so hard!

So overall, this is a solid book that's a quick read despite its somewhat heavy subject matter.

4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

~ Olga