Twelfth Night by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Reviewed by Kaelin Lee, age 17
Twelfth Night is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Viola Reyes and Jack Orsino are the complete opposite and can only seem to agree on their mutual dislike of each other. Vi is known at school as unlikable and nerdy, while Jack is the popular football star who everyone loves. Viola only sees him as a lazy jock who undeservedly beat her for the position of Student Body President, forcing her to serve as his Vice President. However, when Orsino gets a football injury, he turns to the online game of Twelfth Night, the world Vi escapes to under the masculine alter ego of Cesario. When she and Jack are chatting online together, Viola pretends she’s her twin brother. However, soon they begin opening up to each other online and offline as themselves. More than just the game is at stake as the two of them may be falling for one another.
My main thought about the book is that I saw it as more of a coming-of-age story rather than a romantic comedy. While I enjoyed reading about Jack and Viola’s slow-burning enemies-to-lovers arc, it didn’t have the chemistry I was expecting out of a romance story. Rather than being invested in their relationship, I was more fascinated by their individual stories as they grappled with what constituted their identity. Besides Jack’s main plotline of questioning life outside of football, he unpacked how he feels the need to never express anger due to being African American. As for Viola, her character was strong-willed and challenged the sexist expectations put on her as a girl. Her peers reflect society in their quickness to label her the “b” word when she was standing up for herself. By utilizing a dual first-person perspective, the author enriched her characters and world of realism by having them address social issues that are still pervasive and prevalent today. Thus, the book went beyond the typical YA romance novel in diving into deeper struggles teens must face. Additionally, I did appreciate how Jack and Viola gradually built their bond first in a platonic sense and then transitioned to a romantic level, as it felt well-paced and natural. I would recommend this book to teens who are looking for a truly enjoyable read and are eager to watch Jack and Viola find not only each other but themselves.