Romiette and Julio

To be honest, I had low expectations, but I thought the romance might be cute.

"It's hard to know what to be afraid of when you don't even know what the threat is."

Okay, you need to have some suspension of disbelief when reading this story. Romiette seems really young in her first journal entry. I'm not saying there aren't light-hearted, juvenile sixteen-year-olds, but are African kings and presidents really out here visiting her mom's pan-African boutique? This was before Facebook was even popular, so how in the world would they know about the store? Also, why was Ben so gracious and friendly after Julio gave him a bloody nose? Like it would've been better if they started on the wrong foot but learned they were wrong about each show more other.

Nitpick: Why the heck is brown-golden skin and fried chicken in the same sentence when Julio is describing Romiette. Yes, he realizes how trifling that simile is, but why even put it in there? I have never read she was pale like mayonnaise in a story. -_-
Julio's dad is also Liam Neeson. A group of drunk black guys in a truck killed his high school sweetheart, so he has hated black people ever since.

Anyway, Romiette and Julio is definitely more plot-driven than character-driven with too much telling and not enough showing. I like the bite-sized chapters, but they consist of mostly dull dialogue. The most interesting character to me is Destiny, and I'm not being biased. The story is also dated with chat rooms and VCRs. I was going to laugh if they had AOL dialup internet, but alas they did not.

The part when Romiette and Julio shared their dreams about each other was really cute.

"Romiette you are my dream.
Julio, my dreams are sometimes terrifying.

I will protect you.

From my dreams?

Maybe I will be there for you in your dreams" (pg 93)

Overall, it's not really worth reading in 2019 and there wasn't enough romance. show less

As the title would suggest, this is a retelling of "Romeo and Juliet." It's set in an urban high school and focuses on the relationship between Romiette, an African-American girl and Julio, a Mexican-American boy, with racial tensions playing the role of Capulets vs. Montagues in this story. (The actual parents of Romiette and Julio aren't really opposed to the couple, with the exception of Julio's dad.)

I enjoyed the setup of this book and some of the more subtle nods to Shakespeare's original story. (E.g., Julio has a friend named "Ben.") I also thought the viewpoint switching between Julio and Romiette was handled well, with each character having an authentic voice. However, I felt that the ending was too tidy, and undermined the show more seriousness of the themes in the book. show less

Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson. Julio is new to a Cleveland high school and misses his native Texas. Romiette is the daughter of a news anchorman and an owner of an Afrocentric boutique. They meet online in a chat room and soon realize that they attend the same high school. When they first meet for lunch, it is strong attraction at first sight. The two begin to hang out together, to the anger of the Devil Dogs gang members who don't approve of black Romiette being with a "foreigner." Veiled threats by the Devil Dogs frighten but don't dissuade the couple. An attempt to beat the Devil Dogs at their own game goes awry when the gang kidnaps the two and leaves them in the middle of the lake during a nighttime thunderstorm.

Although I can see many teens--especially girls--being interested in the romance between Romiette, an African American girl, and Julio, the new student at Romiette's school who has just moved from Corpus Christi, the quality of the writing is poor. I felt that the characters and their dialogue were stereotypical, and the plot is uninspired. Frequent, heavy-handed references back to Romeo and Juliet further mar the novel.

It was frustrating to read this knowing that gang violence is an issue that many urban teens face. I wanted the book to be better because it might help these potential readers by providing a voice of clarity, understanding, and hope. The plot and the way the characters are executed just seem too unrealistic--the good show more characters too perfect, the bad characters not quite serious enough--to serve this function, though. show less

This is the third time Romiette and Julio has been on the Battle of the Books list since I have been a coach. After reading it for the 3rd time I still realize why middle school girls as well as boys like this story. It is about relationships, home life, school and the gang element adds the suspense. Sharon M. Draper does a really good job of foreshadowing with Romiette's reocurring dream.
It would be easy for us, "The Grownups" to dismiss Julio and Romiette's love as high school puppy love, but one set of the parents mentioned that their love started as 16 year olds so that does happen and lasts. We have all seen it.
I found Nannette a bit unbelievable as I think public outcry would override an uncle "upstairs." But is added comic show more relief so to speak.
I wanted to know what happened to the 5 gang members who were arrested as well as what effect the whole thing had on the Devildogs and their influence at school and in the community.
I really liked how Sharon M. Draper pulled the public together despite the fact the relationship was between a Hispanc boy an an African American boy. show less

This modern rendition of Romeo and Juliet begins when Romiette, daughter of successful African American parents, and Julio, a young Latino transplant to Cincinnati meet in an Internet chat room. The parallels to the play involve more than just their names, but also the deep disapproval to the romance by the local gang, the Devildogs. Thankfully (from someone who hates the ending of the play), the ending of this story is much more upbeat. Parts of the story and the dialogue are a little awkward (the news bulletin sections don't fit very well), but for the most part this story is a great urban teen romance.

The novel, Romiette and Julio, by Sharon M. Draper encompasses that love can persevere over any obstacle. In the beginning, transfer student, Julio Montague and Romiette Cappelle meet through an online chat room, and instantly become close friends at school gaining a strong affection for each other. Throughout the middle the love birds begin receiving threats and harassing statements from a gang called the Devildogs, who do not accept Romiette dating Julio, since Julio is new and Hispanic. Near the end, the Devildogs kidnap Julio and Romiette during their walk near London woods and tie the two love birds to a boat in the middle of a storm which brings concern and worries to their families and friends, Ben and Destiny. In the end, I show more predict Julio and Romiette will overcome the dangerous situation they are in, and will hopefully return home safely to their families. (283 pages read/ 320 pages). show less