Review: My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten

Rowena Duncan is a thoroughly modern girl with big plans for her summer—until she catches her boyfriend making out with another girl. Heartbroken, she applies to an out-of-town job posting and finds herself somewhere she never expected: the Renaissance Faire.

As a face-painter doubling as a serving wench, Ro is thrown headfirst into a vibrant community of artists and performers. She feels like a fish out of water until Will, a quick-witted whip cracker, takes her under his wing. Then there’s Christian, a blue-eyed stunt jouster who makes Ro weak in the knees. Soon, it’s not just her gown that’s tripping her up.

Trading in the internet and electricity for stars and campfires was supposed to make life simpler, but Ro is finding that love is the ultimate complication. Can she let the past make way for her future?

Best Bits: I went in hoping for a cute summer read, and this book met all my expectations. Ro is trying to escape seeing an ex and his new girlfriend, so she finds a job out in the middle of nowhere. What teen girl hasn't wanted to do the same thing? It's a fun setup and it doesn't take her long once she's there to start focusing on herself (and a new guy, but that's sort of the point). While it may seem like the new romance is the focus of the book, there's also a focus on confidence and following your passions. Ro loves art, and as she begins to work her individuality into face painting at the faire she begins to realize that she might not be headed toward the future that's right for her. 

The other characters at the faire make the book even better. You would expect to find some eccentric people working at King Geoffrey's Faire, and you won't be disappointed. Of course there's Christian, the attractive knight, Will, the guy who proves appearances can be deceiving, and my personal favorite, Ramon. Ramon is the grumpy head cook at the tavern, and his interactions with Ro and the gang were great. 

Nit Picks: My only complaint is that I wanted more. We only see a couple weeks in the summer, and as much as I loved the parts we got to read, I would have loved to get to experience more of the faire over the time that Ro was there.

My Faire Lady
By Laura Wettersten
Published by Simon & Schuster
352 Pages