Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons

Before Juliet, there was Rosaline.

In Fair Rosaline, Natasha Solomons reimagines Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet through the eyes of the young woman Romeo claimed to love first—and gives her a story entirely her own.

Rosaline Capulet is grieving the death of her mother when she meets the charming and passionate Romeo Montague. Swept up in his attention and promises of love, she believes she has found an escape from the future that has been chosen for her. But as Romeo’s affection begins to reveal a darker, more troubling side, Rosaline realizes that his romantic declarations may not be as innocent as they seem.

Then Romeo turns his attention to Rosaline’s young cousin, Juliet.

Determined to protect Juliet from making the same mistakes she did, Rosaline must challenge the romantic story unfolding around them—even when everyone else seems willing to believe in it.

Dark, clever, and fiercely feminist, Fair Rosaline transforms one of literature’s most famous romances into a story about power, manipulation, female friendship, and a young woman learning to trust her own voice.

Perfect for readers who love: feminist retellings, Shakespeare-inspired fiction, complicated heroines, historical settings, and familiar stories told from the perspective of women pushed to the margins.