Review: When You Were Mine

Author: Rebecca Serle
Genre: YA Retelling/ YA Contemporary
Retelling: Romeo and Juliet
Release Date: 5/1/2012
Summary From B&N.com:

Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her — and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy . . . and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance.

Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends.

My Review:
This book is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. It is also contemporary novel, about a girl figuring out who she is. This book can be looked at in two different ways, so I will be breaking my review down in to three parts; retelling, contemporary, and overall.

Retelling of Romeo and Juliet in When You Were Mine:

This retelling of Romeo ad Juliet is about the girl Romeo loved before Juliet, Rosaline. The book start with a new school year starting and Rob (Romeo) getting back from summer camp. Rosaline and Rob start a brief relationship (a whole three days long). Rosaline's cousin Juliet moves back, and goes after Rob determined to not let Rosaline ever by happy. The retelling parts of the book mainly focuses on how she feels about Rob and Juliet's relationship.

Juliet is evil. First she pops off Rosaline's new barbie's head, then she steals her boyfriend. This is a revenge. I think Juliet had emotional problems. I still think that she loved Rob, and Rosaline, even though she what she did to them.Rob is the modern retelling of Romeo. Rob is a coward, he didn't even have the guts to tell Rose that nothing more was going to happen between them before starting a relationship with her cousin. I think even though all the stuff they went through and did that Rob and Juliet really did love each other.

This was not one of the best retelling I have read before. It strayed away from the main story it was retelling. I did like the bits of Rob and Juliet that was in the book very much though.



Contemporary Part of When You Were Mine:

The contemporary parts of the book focuses more on Rose (Rosaline) rediscovering herself.Her cousin hates her and she has no idea why. Len her lab partner makes her mad, but she starts having feeling from him. 

Rose in the beginning of the story was a bit of a spoiled rotten brat, but she change though out the story. I loved reading about how rose change and found herself throughout the book. Len is Rose's lab partner. 


Overall: 

I did get lost a bit, but it was overall okay written. I liked the idea of the story with the retelling. This book was not great, but I sure did like it.