Italy . . . Shakespeare . . . but no romance?

Kate Sanderson inherited her good sense from her mother, a disciplined law professor, and her admiration for the Bard from her father, a passionate Shakespeare scholar. When she gets dumped, out of the blue, for the Practically Perfect Ashley Lawson, she vows never to fall in love again. From now on she will control her own destiny, and every decision she makes will be highly reasoned and rational. She thinks Shakespeare would have approved.

So when she is accepted to a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, Italy, Kate sees it as the ideal way to get over her heartbreak once and for all. She'll lose herself in her studies, explore ancient architecture, and eat plenty of pasta and gelato. (Plus, she'll be getting college credit for it—another goal accomplished!) But can even completely logical Kate resist the romance of living in a beautiful villa in the city where those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet met and died for each other? Especially when the other Shakespeare Scholars—in particular Giacomo, with his tousled brown hair, expressive dark eyes, and charming ways—try hard to break her protective shell?

"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . . "

"After winning a Shakespeare essay contest, practical Kate is off to Verona, Italy, to attend a summer seminar about Romeo and Juliet. There, at a romantic villa, she and her classmates act out scenes from the play, learn Elizabethan dances and answer letters written to Juliet from teenagers who are, as her dramatic professor puts it, 'lost, wandering, desperate for advice about love.' (A real-life club in Verona answers thousands of such letters each year.) Of course, in the true spirit of the Bard, they also experience romantic complications: Kate and flirty Giacomo discover the other students plotting to 'pull a Beatrice and Benedick' (from Much Ado About Nothing) and make them fall in love with each other. Although Harper's wit is less acute than in her debut, The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney, her sense of humor and flair for playful dialogue remain strong enough to overcome the predictable narrative arc. Plenty of drama — on- and offstage — will keep readers in their seats. Ages 12 — up. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

This comedic novel follows six teens--three American and three Italian--who volunteer to work with the Juliet Club, a real organization in Verona that receives thousands of letter each year from the lovelorn seeking advice.