When Julie Jacobs' aunt died, she received a letter that reveals her name is actually Giulietta Tolomei, a descendant of the real-life families that inspired Romeo and Juliet. Julie's twin sister inherits everything; Julie is told to go to Italy to find a safety deposit box. Julie has always had a great love for the work of Shakespeare and for the play 'Romeo and Juliet' in particular. While in Italy, Julie discovers her family history and finds love.
This book was very confusing to me. It is as if three different authors collaborated on it - and not particularly well. The story of the modern day Julie, her sister Janice, and the modern day love interest 'Romeo' felt way too contrived to me. The author used modern day slang that felt very forced. I simply did not buy into the love at first sight angle at all and the characters were very two-dimensional. The 'historical' component of the book was, in contrast, beautifully written and very interesting and far more believable than Shakespeare's play (I must disclose here that 'Romeo and Juliet' has never been a favourite of mine.) Then, suddenly, the book turned into a suspense thriller - where did that come from?
Overall, this book is probably fine as a quick read without much substance - but it won't stay on my bookshelf.
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