In this modern retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
takes place at a summer camp, Camp Dogberry. Sisters Bee and Hana
Leonato live and breathe the camp life. Mostly because their parents own
the place. Every summer, the pair look forward to the rewarding camp
experience especially helping campers with fun activities. However, no
summer camp is complete without any drama. Bee and her fellow counselor,
Ben have romantic chemistry together but both are reluctant
to ask the other out. While Hana is falling for Claudia but Hana is
still having trouble letting go of her ex-boyfriend. Will the counselors
be able to take the leap of faith and find their soul mate? Or will it
lead to heartbreak?
I read the original Shakespeare
novel several years ago. I can't remember much of the story but I
enjoyed this dramatic retelling. I enjoyed the drama-packed narrative
but I couldn't stand some of the characters. They act very immaturely
for their age and I felt like some of the characters were quite
annoying. Personally, I didn't care for Hana, Bee, and Ben. When Ben
returns this season to camp, he wasn't on the best of terms with Bee. He
accused Bee and Hana to having special privileges (best cabin) because
they are the owners' children. However, when Bee and Ben were on good
terms, he automatically took Bee's words at face value without
questioning it. Whatever Bee said was the golden rule and law. Several
times, Donald has pointed out to Ben, that he isn't being a good friend
to Claudia. But Ben never did anything to change that, even though Ben
claims Claudia is his best friend.
I also found Bee to be a
hypocrite, she bullies Claudia and then tells Claudia that she hates
bullies. I felt like Hana and Bee were treated better than the rest of
the characters. Like when Hana betrayed Claudia, everyone banded
together to help Hana feel better and Claudia apologized first. I felt
that Hana should have stopped acting like a victim and should have taken
a proactive role in fixing her relationship with Claudia. Lastly, I
found the dynamic between Ben and Bee very juvenile. Their initial
disagreement was caused by something so trivial and escalated into
something huge. Neither of them really wanted to own up to it. I found
the part where Bee had feelings for Ben but acts upset when he doesn't
show his feelings towards her to be annoying. She also keeps denying
they have a spark even though they both admit they like each other.
Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable and I look forward to reading
other books by the author.
**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**
Title: NOTHING HAPPENED
Author: Molly Booth
Pub. Date: May 15, 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 336
This modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing takes place at the idyllic Camp Dogberry, where sisters Bee and Hana Leonato have grown up. Their parents own the place, and every summer they look forward to leading little campers in crafts, swimming in the lake, playing games of capture the flag and sproutball, and of course, the legendary counselor parties.
This year, the camp drama isn’t just on the improv stage. Bee and longtime counselor Ben have a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that’s complicated by events that happened—or didn’t happen—last summer. Meanwhile, Hana is falling hard for the kind but insecure Claudia, putting them both in the crosshairs of resident troublemaker John, who spreads a vicious rumor that could tear them apart.
As the counselors juggle their camp responsibilities with simmering drama that comes to a head at the Fourth of July sparkler party, they’ll have to swallow their pride and find the courage to untangle the truth, whether it leads to heartbreak or happily ever after.
About Molly:
Molly Booth (she/her/hers) writes books about Shakespeare and feelings. She's the author of Young Adult novels SAVING HAMLET (2016) and NOTHING HAPPENED (5.15.2018), both published by Disney Hyperion. In high school, she was a stage manager for three different community theatres, which almost killed her. She graduated from Marlboro College and went onto study more Shakespeare (twist!) at University of Massachusetts Boston. Molly is a freelance writer and editor and has been published on TheMarySue.com, McSweeneys.net, HelloGiggles.com, and various other websites. She co-hosts a Bardcentric podcast, Party Bard, and directs a lovely, hilarious, and fierce group of homeschooling teen Shakespearean actors. She also speaks and teaches workshops at schools, colleges, bookstores, book fairs, camps, and libraries. Molly lives in Massachusetts, where she spends a lot of time with family and friends, and the rest attending to her queenly cat and loaf-of-bread-shaped dog.
Literary agent: Alex Slater at Trident Media Group.
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of NOTHING HAPPENED, US Only.
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