“Sometimes we need to come face-to-face with our dreams to be able to see our reality clearly.”
It’s All Relative, Rachel Magee
This is a modern retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it does preserve that chaotic energy throughout. Helena’s mom is marrying Amelia’s dad, and the week leading up to the wedding becomes a battle of the wills between the two women. The drama is heightened when it’s revealed both women are in love with the wrong man.
The story takes place at Amelia’s family home on a South Carolina island. There’s classic wedding hijinks like torn dresses, and classic island issues like missing ferries. The supporting characters are goofy, and add a lot of comedic relief into an otherwise tense storyline. Additionally, I think Helena and Amelia are interesting main characters whose different personalities are clear in every interaction.
Unfortunately, the majority of the book just didn’t pack enough of a punch. Things were happening at a breakneck speed, but it felt like every plot point was just being thrown at me for no real reason. There’s a lot of background that’s skimmed over quickly but never fully addressed. Helena and Amelia are developed just enough to be memorable, while every other character is so flat and one-dimensional they seem to slip away. And the final few chapters, while closer to Shakespeare’s version, were so zany and out of place with the rest of the plot that it felt like a fever dream.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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