Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

"This above all: to thine own self be true." Shakespeare. This was the underlying theme in this excellent story about growing up.

Mimi Wallingford is the last in line of a Shakespearean acting family. All her mother wants her to do is be a Shakespearean actress in New York at the family theater. All 17-year-old Mimi wants is to be a normal teenager.

She wants to go to college in Los Angeles and study medicine. She wants to see the world. When we first meet Mimi, she is playing Juliet. Her Romeo is teen pop star, Troy Summer, who has ego problems. Mimi is attracted to Troy but can't believe he would ever look twice at her.

After having a very bad evening, she and Troy are transported to the very real story of Romeo and Juliet. She meets both of the main characters and is surprised when Juliet is having the same problems with her mother as she is with her own.

Lady Capulet is a major villain in this story. Mimi and Troy learn many lessons and help Juliet and Romeo find their destinies, while getting the confidence to solve their own problems. They also do this with an incredibly happy ending.

It is very gratifying to have another story based on the classic Shakespeare story. I loved the way that the author headed each chapter with a quote from Shakespeare which applied to the chapter and the story line. I really enjoyed this book, and if I was a ninth-grade teacher I would have my class read this after we studied Romeo and Juliet; but, alas, I am only a fifth-grade teacher! ( )

Original post at The Little Bookworm

Mimi is playing Juliet at her family's renowned theater, The Wallingford Theatre though she is suffering from stage fright. She's been acting ever since she was 3 so this sudden onset of stage fright is causing her big problems. Also causing her problems is her mother who wants to control Mimi's life and dictate where Mimi should go to college. On the night of the final performance of Romeo & Juliet, Mimi is magically transported, with her gorgeous co-star Troy Summers, to Verona, Italy and into the story of Romeo & Juliet. But her presence is changing the story and she doesn't know how to get back to her life. Can Mimi save Juliet and save herself?

It was a very cute book, a little contrived, but cute nonetheless. It didn't take much time to read. I understood Mimi's problems and her mother was so overbearing that it was ridiculous. Lady Capulet was the same way. The author tried very hard to parallel Mimi's problems with Juliet's, but sometimes it was a little forced. And I wasn't really crazy about Troy. He just bothered me. It was cute how Mimi changed the story of Romeo & Juliet and it all ended up alright. It was fun seeing the characters of the classic play reacting to life outside of that story. All in all, it was a cute, fun book. ( )

Cute, lighthearted comedy about a teenage actress (Mimi Wallingford) who is facing stage fright on closing night of a performance of Romeo and Juliet. She is magically transported back to Verona, Italy and meets the real Juliet and interferes enough in the plot to give the story a happy ending. ( )

A cute and short book, Saving Juliet is worth the time to sit down and read. My favorite thing about it was the humor throughout the story. And how some one FINALLY gave Romeo and Juliet a happy ending- and perhaps a more realistic one. I always did think the characters seemed fake. ( )

Interesting because of the tie to Romeo and Juliet, but otherwise I thought it was contrived and a little cheesy. An anxious 21st century teen actor and her co-star are magically transported into the play. ( )

I really enjoyed how this book ended up. At first, I was a little sick of the whiney main character, but throughout the book she really grew into herself. Basically, the plot is that she is performing in Romeo and Juliet, as Juliet, and is having some serious nerves. A necklace her aunt gave her (with the ashes of Shakespeare's quill inside supposedly) shatters and she and her costar - a pop star who she both loathes and wants - are transported into Romeo and Juliet - only this time, things happen a little differently. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. ( )

This is a very fun take on Romeo and Juliet. It would be an interesting companion to the play in an English class, in addition to West Side Story. While the book stands alone, it means more reading it after the original play.

Mimi wants to be a doctor, not an actress. But Shakespearian theater is the family tradition, and her mother is forcing her to do it.

She receives a pendant, supposedly containing ashes from Shakespeare's quill, as a gift. Mimi finds herself transported to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet, stuck between the feuding Capulets and Montegues. But Mimi is determined to do what she can to make sure that the story of Romeo and Juliet has a happy ending. ( )

The story of a modern day actress being transported to the time of the Capulets and Montagues was interesting and fun, but not necessarily the best story about Romeo and Juliet. Teenage angst seemed to be the same in both modern and olden times. Good characters but the plot was a bit flimsy, I thought.