There is paying homage to The Bard, and then there's trying to update every beat. There is something so earnest about trying to update Romeo and Juliet for modern teens and I respect the hell out of the effort. However, something about this just fell flat. Maybe it was the inconsistent editing (some regional food explained for white people, usually the most popular, but not others; characters repeating actions), maybe it was simply how goofy some of the trade-ins were for events in the original play (food poisoning for actual poison)... it just wasn't quite right yet. Publishing trends currently speak to speed and efficiency over creating the best art possible, but this would have shone with another pass or two. I'm looking forward to seeing what else the author can do.