For fans of TIES THAT TETHER, HONEY GIRL, and YOU HAD ME AT HOLA, a Latinx, queer retelling of Shakespeare’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, set in the early days of the Trump presidency, in which a queer, biracial young woman must untangle her complicated relationship with the scion of a wealthy, white dynasty, in what becomes a complex and nuanced rumination on race, colorism, class, sexuality, and privilege.
Which of his bad qualities did she fall for first?
Harvard senior Beatriz Herrera does not have a post-graduation plan. What she does have is a shaved head, a sharp tongue, political views that skew so far left she’s this close to eating the rich, and deeply rooted trauma from the results of the 2016 election.
Still, she would do anything for her sweet, opposite-from-her-in-every-way prima, Hero. Even if it means watching Hero and her boyfriend, Claudio, make googly eyes at each other all spring break. And even if it means spending that week at the Cape Cod mansion of Claudio's best friend and Beatriz's worst nightmare: arrogantly attractive playboy Ben Montgomery. Ben is everything Beatriz can’t stand: he’s white, he’s rich, his taste in literature is the embodiment of toxic masculinity, he’s already got a post-grad job lined up in Boston’s Financial District (with a cushy loft that's paid for, of course), and he’s a walking reminder of the steamy night they spent together four years ago, during their very first week of college. A night that cemented her disdain toward him forever—not that she plans on telling him why.
When a night of drinking games takes a terrifying turn, Ben and Beatriz are forced to put aside their dislike for each other to save someone’s life. What follows--over the course of several months--is an unraveling, as both of them learn how wrong they've been about the other, and a rebuilding of something new and surprisingly tender. But does a country so bitterly divided have space for this kind of love story?
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"First and foremost: the narration on this book is outstanding. Both James Fouhey and Aida Reluzco do a great job. I especially loved how Reluzco seamlessly flipped in and out of casual Spanglish. Both narrators did a great job expressing the emotional range of the story.
As for the story ...
This retelling of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" is going to be polarizing. It's brash, raw, and pulls no punches. The original play is also quite brash, and has just as many cutting words and put-downs, but because it's wrapped up in archaic language it's easier to forget that.
The first few chapters are hard to get through, because, like the original, they are full of people bragging, insulting each other, and a smash reintroduction of the two main characters who last parted on bad terms. However, I'd assert that this book does a significantly better job than the original play of establishing why these two characters dislike each other, and just how deep that goes. But in order to do that, especially in a "show don't tell" kind of way, emotions are high.
I love the slow reveal of Ben as being more nuanced and willing to listen than anyone expects. I love how Beatriz doesn't waffle about what she believes, and is willing to stand up for it in an instant, but is also looking for human connection just like anyone else. Hate sex doesn't really do anything for me, so I thought they could have simmered a little longer before getting busy, but it wasn't eye-roll-fast, either.
I'm not worried about spoiling a 400-year-old story, so I'll just be up front about one of the things I didn't like in this retelling: Meg (Margaret), her story arc, and how she gets treated. Even with the high emotions in this retelling, Meg's arc felt too dark and cynical.
Overall, I thought this book was decent. Not "so amazing even my mom should read it", but not awful, either."
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Rick O (5 out of 5 stars)