Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis
“The road less traveled? That road is a nightmare. It’s less traveled for good reason.”
Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway's hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead...and Jerzie is her understudy.
Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea--especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.
I was really excited to dive into this one. But, my God was I disappointed.
Let’s start with Jerzie. Her general attitude toward everything is so irritating. She is “crushed” to not get the lead role on a Broadway play. Hunny, you can’t logically expect to go from performing in your high school musical to leading Broadway. I mean, it’s possible, but it’s not the end of the world if you get understudy. Like she had the opportunity to network with and impress the heavyweights who could easily call her in for another show a few months down the line. According to the story, Jerzie is a Broadway genius who can learn the blocking of an entire scene after watching it once, compose new musical numbers in minutes, and sing like an angel. She could use this opportunity as a stepping stone; she’s working with an internationally acclaimed pop star for God’s sake! But all she wants to do is mope around and feel bad for herself. Her pessimism is honestly disheartening. Basically, I was unable to get invested in the plot because, from my point of view, there was no problem. Jerzie gets to work on Broadway. She gets to work with legends. She gets famous. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the lead role on your very first try, Jerzie.
Then comes Zeppelin. Who cannot tell the truth about anything, ever. Not only is he nineteen to Jerzie’s SIXTEEN, but he also has the personality of a cardboard cutout. By the end of the book, I know more about his featherlight hair than his personality. Everyone in Jerzie’s life tells her that she’s being reckless, and honestly, I agree wholeheartedly. Wandering around alone at night in NYC is not a good idea, Jerzie!!
Finally, we have Cinny, who also has no set personality. Random flashes of emotion do not actually serve to make her any more relatable or realistic, and she just seems like a snake.
This entire story is a cycle of: Zeppelin betrays Jerzie, Cinny is nice to Jerzie, Cinny betrays Jerzie, Zeppelin is nice to Jerzie. And Jerzie keeps throwing herself into this toxic environment instead of, I don’t know, focusing on her career.
In all honesty, I have zero patience for Romeo and Juliet, but I was drawn in by the theater angle. I understand that the play is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but the book is supposed to be about Broadway and the art of drama. I was really looking forward to an inside look at the world of Broadway but I was served a painfully superficial love triangle drama instead.
Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway's hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead...and Jerzie is her understudy.
Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea--especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.
Let’s start with Jerzie. Her general attitude toward everything is so irritating. She is “crushed” to not get the lead role on a Broadway play. Hunny, you can’t logically expect to go from performing in your high school musical to leading Broadway. I mean, it’s possible, but it’s not the end of the world if you get understudy. Like she had the opportunity to network with and impress the heavyweights who could easily call her in for another show a few months down the line. According to the story, Jerzie is a Broadway genius who can learn the blocking of an entire scene after watching it once, compose new musical numbers in minutes, and sing like an angel. She could use this opportunity as a stepping stone; she’s working with an internationally acclaimed pop star for God’s sake! But all she wants to do is mope around and feel bad for herself. Her pessimism is honestly disheartening. Basically, I was unable to get invested in the plot because, from my point of view, there was no problem. Jerzie gets to work on Broadway. She gets to work with legends. She gets famous. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the lead role on your very first try, Jerzie.
Then comes Zeppelin. Who cannot tell the truth about anything, ever. Not only is he nineteen to Jerzie’s SIXTEEN, but he also has the personality of a cardboard cutout. By the end of the book, I know more about his featherlight hair than his personality. Everyone in Jerzie’s life tells her that she’s being reckless, and honestly, I agree wholeheartedly. Wandering around alone at night in NYC is not a good idea, Jerzie!!
Finally, we have Cinny, who also has no set personality. Random flashes of emotion do not actually serve to make her any more relatable or realistic, and she just seems like a snake.
This entire story is a cycle of: Zeppelin betrays Jerzie, Cinny is nice to Jerzie, Cinny betrays Jerzie, Zeppelin is nice to Jerzie. And Jerzie keeps throwing herself into this toxic environment instead of, I don’t know, focusing on her career.
In all honesty, I have zero patience for Romeo and Juliet, but I was drawn in by the theater angle. I understand that the play is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but the book is supposed to be about Broadway and the art of drama. I was really looking forward to an inside look at the world of Broadway but I was served a painfully superficial love triangle drama instead.
Comments
Post a Comment